Afghanistan's defense minister on Sunday said the Pentagon has pledged to take steps to reduce civilian casualties from aerial attacks against insurgents in the country. A strategic review of the war will also be conducted as Afghanistan gets permission to increase the number of its own troops.

With domestic and international criticism mounting as the civilian death toll rises, Afghanistan's defense minister says the United States and other international forces have promised to "do their best" to avoid such casualties from aerial bombings.

随著平民死亡人数不断上升而招致国内和国际上的批评增多，阿富汗国防部长说，美国和其他国际部队已经承诺“尽全力”来避免空袭对平民造成的伤亡。

Abdul Rahim Wardak spoke to reporters on the grounds of the Defense Ministry about his recent visit to the Pentagon, where he met his U.S. counterpart and other American officials.

瓦尔达克在阿富汗国防部对记者介绍了他最近访问美国五角大楼的情况。他在美国会见了美国国防部长以及其他美国官员。

"There has been an understanding to strategically review the conduct of war and other efforts in Afghanistan and also in the region," Wardak said.

他说：“我们都认为要从战略上评估有关战争行动以及在阿富汗和这个地区的其它活动。”

Wardak is calling for less emphasis on heavy weaponry, better shared intelligence and greater use of Afghan forces to search for insurgents.

瓦尔达克呼吁不要过分依赖重型武器，而要更好地分享情报和更多地利用阿富汗安全部队搜寻反叛分子。

The former Mujahideen commander also announced that the international community has authorized an increase in the size of the Afghan army to 134,000 troops. There are more than 60,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.

这位前圣战者指挥官还宣布，国际社会已授权把阿富汗军队的规模增加13万4千人。另外，目前还有超过60万外国军队在阿富汗。

"There is definitely a need for more boots on the ground based on the present security situation," Wardak said.

他说：“根据目前的安全局势，的确需要更多的地面部队。”

The resurgent Taleban, ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001, are active in large parts of southern Afghanistan.

被以美国为首的联军于2001年推翻的塔利班近来死灰复燃，活跃在阿富汗南部大部分地区。

Defense Minister Wardak told reporters that the current war against them cannot be won only by military means.

阿富汗国防部长瓦尔达克对记者说，仅仅通过军事手段不可能取得战争的胜利。

The Sunday Times in London quotes the British commander in Afghanistan as also saying the Taleban cannot be defeated on the battlefield. The newspaper says Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, in an interview, told the newspaper that a political settlement is the best way to bring an end to the conflict.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked the king of Saudi Arabia to mediate such talks. But a senior Taleban commander has rejected such negotiations with what he termed Afghanistan's "puppet" government.